Robert Key

Robert Key, who died on October 15 aged 62, had been executive director of the
Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) in Britain for the past 16 years.

6:59PM BST 16 Oct 2009

Sir Elton John established the Foundation in the United States in 1992, with a headquarters in New York, and the following year set up a British arm. The two organisations function independently to support HIV prevention programmes, and to eliminate the stigma which surrounds HIV/Aids.

Robert Key and Sir Elton John opening the pop star's charity clothes shop in 1997 in aid of the Foundation

They also provide direct help for those suffering from the condition, and have so far raised more than $150 million to fund projects in 55 countries around the world, including in Britain, where £66 million has been raised through events such as Sir Elton's annual White Tie and Tiara Ball, held at his home near Windsor.

When he was appointed director of the Foundation in Britain in 1993, Key was already a friend of the pop star, having worked as international manager of Rocket Records, the label founded by Sir Elton in 1972. At Key's own request, his position as executive director was initially unpaid. In 1995, however, the board decided that his commitment, and the time he was devoting to his role, demanded that he should be remunerated.

From the beginning Key set out to learn all he could about HIV/Aids: about what it is like to live with the condition and about the social stigma and isolation endured by those who have it. In his own time, and at his own expense, he made hundreds of visits to people in hospitals, sheltered housing and in prison. Some of them he nursed and supported himself.

At the Foundation he helped to establish a hardship fund for those who needed money; campaigned for higher standards of nutrition through the "Food Chain" organisation; and pioneered the idea of the "Living Will", a legally-binding document based on the principle that an individual can ask for or refuse life-saving medical treatment.

Key was among the first to appreciate the scale of the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and the foundation's first international grant went to The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) in Uganda, which has since become one of the largest such organisations in the region.

Under Key's direction money has been provided for more than 500 programmes in Africa, Asia, South America and eastern Europe. With the help of the Clinton Foundation, he was able to deliver new treatment to HIV-positive children in Africa.

While he established a good working relationship with donors, governments, agencies of the United Nations and local communities, Key was not afraid to take on the authorities when he thought that they were unco-operative or ill-informed. In 2007, for example, he criticised government health officials in Nepal for their "bigoted and factually incorrect" stance on HIV/Aids.

As a fund-raiser he succeeded in securing $160 million from the Gates Foundation for EJAF's work in India as well as more than £35 million from individuals and private foundations in Britain. In 1997 he helped to organise a sale of 10,000 items of Elton John's clothing at a London shop, which raised £50,000 in the first nine hours.

Key was also careful to ensure that the Foundation's programmes were cost-effective. In recent years he had managed to double the fund-raising capacity while keeping overheads at under seven per cent.

Robert John Key was born in Middlesex on August 13 1947, the son of a policeman. After West Square School, Camberwell, he went on to Camberwell Art School, then joined the P&D Colnaghi gallery in Old Bond St. (He later brought his expertise in 19th-century English pictures to the refurbishment of Elton John's Berkshire home.)

In the mid-1970s he joined Rocket Records, co-ordinating all the star's record releases and personal appearances. For many years he managed Sir Elton's households in London, Windsor and Nice, overseeing extensive building projects.

He was appointed MBE in 2008 for his charitable work.

Robert Key died of myelofibrosis following a bone-marrow transplant. He is survived by his partner, Gerry Lane, and by his brother, David.